HC Deb 23 October 2003 vol 411 cc680-1W
Mr. Simmonds

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many vehicles he estimates are on British roads without a valid MOT certificate. [133728]

Mr. McNulty

The information is not currently available. The Vehicle and Operator Services Agency (VOSA) is responsible for supervision of the MOT testing scheme and is involved in a private finance initiative contract with Siemens Business Services to establish a central MOT database which will hold information on every test carried out in Great Britain. Roll-out is currently planned for 2004. Twelve months after the completion of roll-out, when the database is fully populated, it will be possible to compare the MOT data held by VOSA against the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency's (DVLA) database of registered vehicles to establish the number of vehicles without current MOT certificates.